Coastal Risk Information Service News - October 2017

National Oceanography Centre sent this bulletin at 12-10-2017 11:38 AM BST

Thank you for
subscribing to receive news from the Coastal Risk Information Service (C-RISe)
project. C-RISe is funded by the UK Space Agency
(UKSA) under the International Partnership Programme.

About the project

Now entering
its second phase, the project will deliver, through an international
partnership with Mozambique, Madagascar and South Africa; access to
satellite-derived data on sea level, wind speed and wave heights. The goal is
to enable the use of this information to improve socio-economic resilience to
coastal hazards associated with sea level changes such as inundation, floods,
storm damage, wetland loss, habitat change, coastal erosion and saltwater
intrusion.

C-RISe is a
development of Sea Level Space Watch (SLSW), a project funded by the UK Space
Agency (UKSA), which delivers information on sea level trends at the UK coast,
enabled by recent advances in coastal altimetry data processing. C-RISe will
expand this service to provide additional data sets (wind and wave
climatologies), and increased temporal and spatial coverage; 24 years of
previously unavailable satellite observations, over the regional area of
Mozambique, Madagascar and South Africa.

First Training Workshop - Mozambique

Wind, Wave and Sea Level Information from Satellites

16 to 20 October

Mozambique has significant
coastal populations whose lives and economic security are vulnerable to the
consequences of climate variability and change. The coast is highly exposed to
storm surges, and coastal ecosystems are sensitive to climate change. Access to
improved information on sea level, wave and wind extremes can inform efforts to
protect coastal communities and safeguard economic activity. The information
can also help to improve industrial and commercial competitiveness in the
maritime sector.

This training course will
look at the strengths and limitations of technologies used to measure wind,
waves and sea level from satellites, as well as the main applications of this
data. Participants will gain hands-on experience in the use of the C-RISe data
product, which brings these measurements closer to the coast.

Satellite data is
particularly powerful when combined with in situ measurements, for example from
local tide gauges. The course gives an introduction to sea level variability,
tides and tidal analysis, quality control of tide gauge data, and methods for
comparing tide gauge and satellite data to obtain the best available
information on sea level variability and trends. Local agencies will be able to
use the data to produce tidal predictions and pre-formatted tide tables for use
by port authorities, fishermen, ferry companies, and others benefitting from
tidal information.

Course Content:

Monday 16 October: Introduction to
C-RISe data

Morning: Introduction
to C-RISe and the C-RISe data portals. Brief overviews of participants’ work
and plans for using C-RISe data.Afternoon: Exercise
- selecting, viewing and downloading C-RISe data

Morning: Introduction
to satellite altimetry; measuring closer to the coast. Applications and synergy
with measurement from other satellites. Sources of other satellite data and
processing tools.Afternoon:
Exercise - Opening and examining
C-RISe data; corrections for different applications

Morning: Introduction
to methods and statistics for altimetry data validation with TG observations. Analysis
of sea level variability with along-track satellite dataAfternoon:Exercises - extracting total water
levels and sea level anomalies; validation of altimetry data against a single
tide gauge record as a function of distance from the coast. Generating easy-to-interpret
sea level maps of the annual cycle, inter-annual variability and long-term
trends.

How to Apply

This training
course is aimed at environmental scientists who want to combine satellite data
with local observations of wind, waves or sea level, and anyone who would like
to participate in local C-RISe data validation. The course is free, and open to
anyone from Mozambique with an interest in working with the C-RISe data. Please
note that the organisers are not in a position to cover travel expenses of
participants. The course will be held in English.

You will be
asked to fill in a short questionnaire and return this to help us tailor the
course to your interests and experience.

On the first
day you will be expected to give a brief overview of your work, and how this
could benefit from access to satellite data on wind, waves and/or sea level. If
you attend with colleagues with similar plans and interest, feel free to
combine your presentations.